French doors and patio doors having fixed and hinged panels are known in the prior art, broadly speaking. Such prior art doors, while attractive, have tended to have certain deficiencies in terms of security or strength, thermal efficiency and cost on a comparative basis with other types of doors, such as sliding doors having aluminum frames. As a result, the latter type of door has been more widely used as a patio door with a distinct sacrifice in appearance and versatility.
In view of the above, the objective of the present invention is to provide an improved door system for patios and the like which completely overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art outlined above and allows the home owner or builder to utilize a much more architecturally attractive and versatile door system without sacrificing security, thermal efficiency and overall durability, and at a competitive cost with other door types. Other features of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art during the course of the following description.
To satisfy the requirements for disclosing known prior art under 37 C.F.R. 1.56, the following United States patents are made of record herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 533,801
U.S. Pat. No. 1,450,733
U.S. Pat. No. 2,281,864
U.S. Pat. No. 2,292,806
U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,933
U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,360
U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,665
U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,433